Documentary wedding photography (also called photojournalistic or reportage style) captures your day naturally, as it unfolds. Rather than staging moments, the photographer observes, anticipates, and records real emotions—the laughter, tears, quiet looks, and spontaneous celebrations.

Why Couples Love It:
Couples today crave authenticity. They want wedding albums that reflect true feelings—the laughter, the tears, the small, beautiful moments—not rigid poses. Documentary style tells the honest story of your day.

Editorial style is inspired by fashion magazines. It focuses on stylish, dramatic, and often highly curated images. There is usually more posing, direction, and setup involved to create a luxurious, polished look.

Editorial wedding photography tends to be bolder and more fashion-forward than Fine Art. It leans into dramatic lighting, striking compositions, and a magazine-like sophistication, offering couples the experience of starring in their own glamorous editorial spread.

Why Couples Love It:
With weddings becoming increasingly personalized and styled, many couples love editorial photography for its chic, confident feel—a way to create stunning images that look straight out of a high-end magazine.

Lifestyle wedding photography sits between candid and posed. It feels relaxed, natural, and approachable—with real moments slightly guided by the photographer to look their best. Think of it as photojournalism with a soft touch.

Why Couples Love It:
Lifestyle photography offers the authenticity of documentary images, but with enough direction to feel polished and flattering. Couples love it for the natural smiles, unforced interactions, and gentle elegance it brings to their gallery.

Fine Art photography emphasizes beauty, light, and composition. Images often feel romantic, luminous, and editorial—with careful attention to details like color palettes and textures. This style usually involves some gentle posing and direction to create images that feel dreamy and timeless, almost like works of art.

Fine Art wedding photography is generally lighter, brighter, and more delicate compared to Editorial photography. Its primary goal is to visually narrate a story with an artistic but selfless approach, creating soft and emotional images, perfect for romantic celebrations and natural settings.

Why Couples Love It:
Fine Art photography brings a sense of timeless elegance. In 2025, couples love the idea of their wedding photos resembling pieces of art they can proudly display—especially when paired with France’s historic and stunning backdrops.

Traditional photography focuses on classic, posed portraits—smiling at the camera, formal group photos, and structured compositions.

While most photographers, including myself, will take a few important family portraits during the day, a fully traditional style centers mainly on these staged images.

Why Couples Love It:
Traditional photography offers reliability. Couples know they will have key family moments captured perfectly, and those classic images remain timeless across generations.

When selecting your wedding photography style, ask yourself:

• Do I want to pose for my photos, or prefer real moments captured naturally?
• Do I imagine artistic, romantic images or emotional storytelling?
• How important are formal portraits compared to candid moments?
• What style matches the spirit of our wedding and personalities?

Your wedding photographs should reflect who you are and how you felt—not just what your day looked like.

If you dream of reliving the laughter, tears, and small moments you might not even notice on the day itself, a documentary style might be the perfect match for you.

My photography approach is rooted in documentary and photojournalistic storytelling. This means I focus on capturing the real, unfiltered emotions and spontaneous moments that make your wedding day unique. I strive to be as unobtrusive as possible, allowing the day to unfold naturally and creating images that are authentic, emotional, and timeless.

That said, my style is not limited to documentary alone. Throughout your wedding day, there are moments where I bring in elements from other styles to enhance the story. I might take time for a few posed portraits using dramatic lighting in an editorial style, or create soft, luminous images with a fine art touch. I also make sure to capture traditional family portraits—images that will be cherished by your loved ones for generations.

All of the photographs used to illustrate the different styles on this page were taken by me. They reflect how I naturally blend these various approaches throughout a wedding day—not as separate categories, but as complementary tools to tell your story in the most complete and personal way possible.

Each couple is different, and so is each celebration. I adapt to the mood, the light, and your preferences, ensuring that your gallery feels both cohesive and full of variety.

As a French photographer with a background in international photojournalism and five years of experience photographing weddings in the U.S., I bring a unique, bilingual perspective to every celebration. You can explore my documentary work here: wayanbarre.com.

If you feel connected to the idea of storytelling through honest, emotion-filled photography with room for creative beauty and tradition, I’d love to hear more about your plans.